ANBU Masks
by xJig of Deathx
Summary: Ever wonder how the ANBU got their masks? Ever wonder if their was a story behind it? Well there was. Follow the last mission of Team Thirteen


'_**The choosing of the ANBU mask is a sacred tradition of the Special Ops, for it will represent you as you serve your village to the best of your ability.' **_Taken from the ANBU Training Manual chapter two, on the initiation rites of an ANBU. these masks are not new, they are returned from the ANBU Who are lucky to retire, or who are taken off of duty or the ANBU those whose masks were returned upon their death.

It started out as a normal mission for Team 13 simple scouting mission into Iwa's country Tora, Kitsune, Tori, and Saru were just making their way back from the remains of a Iwa base when a lone Kunai came out of nowhere, striking Tori in the shoulder. "KUSO!" Tori shouted but didn't get far as the explosive note attached to it ignited and incinerated Tori's body in seconds.

"Oh god, TORI!!" Tora shouted as her friend and commanding officer was blasted apart in front of their eyes. Reaching back for her Katana she felt a jolt of pain go through her chest, and looking up she saw Saru and Kitsune were staring at her like she had grown another head. Lowering her hand she felt her chest and came to a curved blade sticking out of her Ribs. Blood pooling in her mouth she smirked and executed a Tiger seal.

"Die you bastard! Motetsuku!" She shouted and flared her chakra, because in every piece of ANBU armor there is a intricate set of seal s, which when has a specific set of chakra put into it, will ignite outward and destroy anything in a three yard radius. And as Tora shouted this, she felt fire embrace her and in the few seconds before she was completely destroyed.

'_I thought you were supposed to see your life flash befor-' _Was the last thought she had before the fire exploded outward killing her and her assailant.

Saru and Kitsune were stunned, their friends, teammates, basically family had both been taken down in minutes. They both looked at each other and with an almost imperceptible nod, took off at amazing speeds, trying to get to Hi no Kuni as fast as possible. For hours they ran, and thinking that they had not been followed, they slowed down, and landed on the ground. However they had no idea how wrong they were.

'What went wrong, we were supposed to be in and out' Saru asked in ANBU signs. He said as he went to take a step , not noticing the trip wire right where he was standing. 'I mean Taich-' '_CLICK'_

Kitsune however saw it, and thinking quickly, performed the seals for Kawarimi, and replaced himself with Saru. As Saru came to his senses from the replacement, he looked on in horror as his friend and last of his team was torn to shreds as several Giant blades came out of nowhere and Sliced Kitsune to pieces. Blood spattered against Kitsune's Mask, forever staining it red. Saru stood there, shocked at the death of his last teammate. Sinking to his knees he stared at the bloody trap and what remained of his former teammate. Staring down at the bloody mask, he picked it up, and dragged his finger from the bloody eye holes, where drops of blood had rolled down the mask, making it looked like the mask was crying blood.

Cursing and standing up, Saru looked one last time at the bloody trap, and he touched part of the armor of his once good friend, and using his chakra he set the seals off, and quickly took off, at speeds greater then before. He had to make it to Konoha.

*Three Days later*

"ANBU Saru reporting Mission Failure, Hokage-Sama" Saru all but whispered in a broken voice.

The Godaime Hokage, Senjuu Tsunade, looked up from her report, and stared at Saru. "It says here you completed your task in destroying the Iwa base, so how was it you Failed, ANBU Saru?" Tsunade

"I am the only survivor of Team Thirteen, Hokage-Sama, Therefore I see that as a failure." The lone survivor cracked out.

"I…See, Saru good job, but I am classifying this mission as a success. And I am assigning you a week of leave, while we decide what do about your new team. Dismissed!" She said in a rough tone.

Saru bowed and left. Returning to ANBU headquarters, he walked into the front door, Ignoring the other Shinobi's 'Welcome Back's' and 'Where are the others?'. Walking down a long hallway with numbers on the door, he stopped at the door with the Number Thirteen on it. Reaching up and taking off his mask, revealing Blond hair, and Purple eyes. "Damnit Haru, why did you let them die?" He cried out as he fumbled with the door handle. After a few tries he finally opened the door, to the dark room, that now seemed all the more dark without the laughter of his friends. Walking over to his Bunk, Haru set his Monekey Mask on the dresser, and then took out the Kitsune mask of his teammate, and put it on the pillow of the bed next to him.

Tears started to fall down his face, as he stripped off his blood stained cloak, and armor. Stripping down to his underwear, he walked over to the joined bathrooms, and turned on the shower. As he washed the blood of his teammates down the drain, yet he could never really remove the stains from his body, nor the stench of blood.  
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Haru wrote down the last item on his will, and then signed it. Folding it up and placing it underneath his Monkey mask, he looked to the side, and saw the picture when Team Thirteen was first created, they had been so antisocial at the time. However over time they had bled, sweat, and worked together, finally forming into a dysfunctional family.

Smiling one last time, Saru walked over to the center of the room, and sank to his knees. He opened the top of his Kimono, and then took the Tanto that lied infront of him, and he unsheathed it. Taking a deep breath, he plunged the blade into his stomach, and then kneeled his head on the ground, as if in a bow, and waited for death to claim him.

'Satoshi, Rin, Hitomi-chan, I am coming' And with that last thought, the remaining member of team thirteen died with a grimace of pain on his face. it would be a couple of days before anyone discovered the body of Haru, and when they did, his name was added to the Memorial stone, right under those of his teammates.

____________________Four Months Later_________________________________

"Now recruits, choose your masks wisely, for they will represent you for your entire term of service in ANBU. UNDERSTOOD?!" The ANBU commander shouted at his new recruits.

A chorus of "HAI!" Answered the commander, as the recruits all jumped, and rushed to start to look for their masks. Two friends started to rummage through the masks, before one found his "Hey, I definitely found mine!" He said proudly as he brought out a Kitsune mask with faint red lines leading from the eyes towards the chin part of the mask.

His friend smirked and then continued to look for hers. After a few minutes of rummageing, she found one and looked at it. There were faint red stains on the mask which she could only imagine what they were. Turning the mask over her hands brushed over something carved in the mask, turning it over she read the inscription. 'Haru Kazuma, Kickass ANBU of Konoha' she took a minute to contemplate who this Haru Kazuma was, but when the Commander barked at them to hurry up, she jumped to get into line.

A/N: Just something I thought up about ANBU so please Review and tell me what you think!!! Please critique me, I need it!!!

Thank you so much!!

DALOS


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